[JURIST] Sweden's parliament [official website] on Thursday approved the European Union (EU) [official website] reform charter known as the Treaty of Lisbon [full text; JURIST news archive] by a wide margin. There were 243 votes for, 39 against, and 67 absent or abstaining votes [BBC report]. The vote made Sweden the 24th member of the EU to ratify the measure.

The Treaty of Lisbon was signed [JURIST report] by the members of the EU in December 2007 to replace the EU constitution [JURIST news archive] that failed to pass previously because France and the Netherlands did not approve it. All 27 EU nations must ratify for the treaty to take effect. Ireland voted against the treaty [JURIST report] in a referendum earlier this year, but a new Irish Times poll [report; JURIST report] suggested earlier this week that 52.5 percent of Irish voters would approve the Treaty of Lisbon if it were modified.